Assuming everything else worked out the way it did, which it most likely wouldn't, we'd have an '08 lineup of Cat Steve Gay Scola Yao with Artest, Brooks, Landry, and Deke coming off the bench. Damn.
THIS! That team was STORMING into the playoffs then their GM [which all on clutchfans were hailing as a complete idiot . . but when it came to SF/Mobley and his commentary he becomes a clutchfans genius for some reason] decided to trade Mobley for a USELESS DOUG CHRISTIE SF's production NOSEDIVES and the Team went into a spiral they never recovered from Until then . . .they were in the thick of things Rocket River
Let's put it this way WHEN FRANCIS AND MOBLEY LEFT - We were a team that lost in the 1st round to a Team with 4 hall of famers on it. Did we ever play a better team in the 1st round? Lakers [with 4 hall of famers] vs Dallas,Utah teams Did we ever get beyond the 1st round? The move was lateral at best. Francis and Mobley = at the time on of the best backcourts in basketball TMAC and PG = One of the BEST SGs and some other guy Cato was not a GREAT PF but did we get a better on during the TMAC era? End Results TMAC came to a team that lost in the 1st round he left a team that was losing in the 1st round [well . . they got to the second round without him] Rocket River
Easy as **** to pile on now since that particular era is over. 05-08 Rockets > garbage ass 45 win ceiling Rockets that never sniffed the postseason except for one year in a down Western Conference.
they were trending upward when that happened, that's what the thread is about. they weren't going on a downward trend.. like say.... Orlando after the 03 season.:grin: Were you watching the Rockets during the Steve Francis era?
Seriously? You guys are claiming Steve Francis's career was cut short by the fact he got separated from Cuttino? You may even be right - but that REALLY ought to shut up the people around here talking about how much heart Francis had.
Upward how? The 2 best players except Yao both had their WORST seasons as Rockets but we were on the UPSWING!! I just want to know who that team would have beat...seriously.
They increased in wins from 03-04 and made the playoffs. Yes their stats went down, because they changed coaches and offensive/defensive philosophies. Maybe you saw a different season than me. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/ 2003-04 NBA Houston Rockets* 45 37 .549 5 2.28 100.9 99.0 Lost Western Conference First Round J. Van Gundy (45-37) 2002-03 NBA Houston Rockets 43 39 .524 5 1.89 104.3 102.6 R. Tomjanovich (43-39)
What are you talking about? That is actually proof of how much heart Francis had. Just a different kind of heart... Spoiler
To me that trade proves you never give up two much less three starters for one star. It didn't work out and we gave up to much. We could have gotten more by sending them out separately.
Nevermind where we would have been if we kept Francis and Mobley... Imagine Orlando with Tmac and DHoward. If tmac wasn't cursed, they could have made some noise... before getting knocked out of the first round.
I actually hated the trade for T-Mac.. i knew it was only a matter of time when he sold out the Rockets like he did Toronto and Orlando. Steve and Cuttino, while at times played out of control, you could never say they played without heart. Steve was a SUPERSTAR... how many point guards put up nearly triple-doubles every night?? 20ppg, 6rpb, 6 apg was the norm for Francis. I remember MANY games when his stat line would read 20-9-9 or 20-8-8. Only other player at the time (that i can think of) that put up those kinds of numbers was Jason Kidd - a Hall of Famer. That was also Yao's 2nd year and was STILL developing. Imagine a lineup that had a PG averaging 20-6-6, a Center averaging 20-10-2 blocks, and an above avg defensive sg averaging 15ppg... that's a pretty damn good trio if you could put average to above avg role players around them. That team could have done something special IMO if given an opportunity to grow together.
What is the point of this thread? "If Steve and Cuttino never left"... then the option in the poll is... "they would have left".
T-Mack din't sell The Rockets out. The Rockets sold T-mac out by purposely not playing him. T-Mac even verbally said that he wanted to stay in Houston, but at the same time he wanted playing time.
If we had kept Steve and Cuttino, right now we'd probably be better off bc we would have been that much more terrible for all those years. The benefit of cashing in for a guy like Mcgrady is at least the illusion that you're a contender every year. It was terrible when Rudy got sick. I wonder more what the team would look like if he pulled a Jerry Sloan and was still our coach. Sorry, not a Sloan. A Mack Brown. Great recruiter of top talent, not so much an X's and O's guy.
we would never have hear <iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oleKfixy-7A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
